


The Hero and the Monster

by OblivionsEdge



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fairytale... ish?, Fantasy, Gen, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 15:37:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18264284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OblivionsEdge/pseuds/OblivionsEdge
Summary: The tale of a brave hero setting out to defeat the monster that has been terrorizing his world.





	The Hero and the Monster

**Author's Note:**

> Fffff I haven't posted in ages, sorry bout that. Here's an original short story I wrote some months ago. I plan to write more standalone short stories like this in the future.

The hero knew that this would be the most important day of his life, and so he held his head high and proud as the crowd cheered him on. These were his people, they counted on him to protect them and end this plight once and for all, he would not fail them. For there was a monster in their lands, the most terrible creature they had ever known, the true embodiment of evil and destruction. No one knew where it came from, but recently it had retreated into a cave that ran deep beneath the earth, and who knows what it might be scheming down there. It was a dangerous task, but the hero felt no fear, for the mages have created a secret weapon, a pure crystal orb that would allow him to enter the creature's mind and find its weakness. He had faith that the reign of fear will end today.  
With a final wave goodbye and words of hope, he left behind his people as he entered the monster's lair. As expected, the cave was deep and dark, and he slowly made his way down the twisting paths. After a while though, he started getting suspicious, he's been walking for a long time and has not seen any sign of the monster yet. The cave was much deeper than anyone had anticipated, and in fact, it didn't even look natural anymore. He could now see the marks of terrible claws along the floor and walls, as if the beast had dug its way deeper into the earth. The hero couldn't tell what the creature was planning, but he was sure it was up to no good. If it could dig secret tunnels all over the region, then there would be no way to tell when and where it would strike. He had to stop it.  
After what felt like hours of journeying, he finally heard it in the distance, the sharp sound of claws scraping along the floor. This would be the moment of truth, the fate of his people was in his hands. And so the hero stepped forward to face the beast, gleaming sword in one hand and crystal orb in the other. As soon as it heard him, the creature turned around and let out a monstrous roar. It was a terrifying giant, more horrible than any of the tales spoken of it, a thing that would haunt the nightmares of children and adults alike. It pinned him with an intense stare, backed up against the wall and claws lightly digging into the stone floor, muscles tense and ready to pounce.

"Your reign of terror ends here, beast!" The hero shouted defiantly, and held up the crystal orb. The orb flashed, light flooding the dark cave for a second, and their minds connected.

What followed was the shattering sound of the orb hitting the ground as it slipped from the hero's hand. The hero didn't even notice, for he was too focused on the monster, frozen as he motionlessly stared at it, barely even breathing. And then he turned around and ran. He ran and ran, he tripped and fell, scraping himself up, and he got back up and continued running. All throughout the dark cave, the adrenaline forcing him to go beyond physical limitations. By the time he finally reached the cave's exit he was limping and bloody, and it took him a moment to catch himself as he was faced again with his people. All looking at him with shock and worried anticipation.

"The monster is dead!" He shouted to the crowd, and soon enough cheers erupted among them.

The cave had been sealed shut, for the hero demanded no one have access to where the beast had died, in fear its evil energy might linger. That night the whole land celebrated the end of the reign of terror, no more will they have sleepless nights and fear for their home and lives. And while the hero did celebrate with everyone else, it was merely a facade to hide his true emotions, but once the celebration was over and he headed home to rest, he found himself unable to do so. For he couldn't forget what he experienced down in that cave, what the orb had shown him. The mages warned him, the monster might try to use the orb against him, the evil might be too much to bear. But nothing had prepared him for what he truly saw. He was sure that for as long as he lived he will never forget that absolute and profound fear he felt from the beast.  
The creature who was once small and weak and harmless. Who was throughout its life hunted and harmed. Who grew and became stronger, over and over again until it became the most terrible creature in the land, in hopes that finally now everyone would be too afraid to attack it. But yet again it was denied peace, for the bigger and stronger it became the more attention was drawn to it, and now everyone wanted it dead. And so in a last ditch effort it hid under the ground, attempting to dig itself so deep into the earth so that no one finds it ever again. But even now it was pursued, yet again someone had come to harm it and this time it was backed into the wall. Not wishing to fight but not having any way to escape. "Back off!" it has screamed in its own language, tense and ready to fight back if need be. To fight for its life.  
This experience shook the hero to his very core, and as he lay shivering in bed he could only hope that by sealing off the cave no one else will ever find the creature again. Hope that now it could have the peace that had been denied to it since the beginning. And he could only hope that one day this terrible fear will fade.


End file.
